ELIZABETHTOWN -Its
approximately 100 miles from Elizabethtown to Raleigh - two hours
by car, factoring in early-morning, rush-hour traffic. Benny
Brigman, superintendent of Bladen Youth Center, could drive it in
his sleep.

Over the past two years, Brigman made
the two-hour trip to Raleigh every other month to attend
classes as part of the Certified Public Manager Program.

In all, he took 12 different classes covering
topics such as problem-solving, interaction with others,
leadership skills and managerial processes. Each class
usually lasted two to three days.

"The program took up quite a bit
of time," Brigman said. "But it has been
helpful. It is a brand new experience when you start
managing more than just a handful of people."

Brigman, who began his career with the
Department of Correction in 1975 as a correction officer
at Sandhills Youth Center, was appointed superintendent
of Bladen Correctional Center in March 1993 when it was
still an adult facility. The facility changed to a
youthful offender prison in 1995.

Brigman is the 20th DOC employee to complete
the Certified Public Manager Program since the program was
accredited to award the certified designation in 1988. A total of
354 graduates from various state agencies have been awarded the
Certified Public Manager designation.

At the conclusion of the program, participants
are required to complete a project intended to improve the
quality of service in the participants work place.

For his project, Brigman developed the first
work release program for youthful offenders ages 18 to 20 in the
state. His project was implemented at Bladen Youth Center this
past September. u